Will I be charged the Home or International fee for my programme?
The tuition fee charged depends on our assessment of you as a Home or International fee payer.
Your status as one of these types of fee payer (your “tuition fee status”) will be established for the first day of your first academic year. It is only in very exceptional circumstances (for example the granting of humanitarian protection/refugee status by the Home Office) that your tuition fee status can change once you have started a programme of study at RVC.
We have produced some broad guidelines below to help you understand how we assign the correct tuition fee status to you. If you are unsure about your tuition fee status prior to applying or starting your studies, and therefore the level of tuition fees that you will be charged, you can contact the Admissions Office (for all taught programmes) or the Graduate School (for research programmes only) for further information. Additionally, the UK Council for International Student Affairs has further information and guidance available on their webpages if you would prefer to seek independent advice. If you believe you meet the criteria for a fee-status change after enrolment, please contact the Advice Centre for further information.
Please also note that although your tuition fee status is unlikely to change during your studies at RVC, the fee charged for each year of your programme is likely to be subject to an annual increase as outlined in our Student Fees Policy
Undergraduates Students
The RVC Admissions office will conduct a fee status assessment upon receipt of your completed application and the notes below are intended as a guide only in determining whether you will be regarded as a Home or International student for fee purposes.
Nationality or residency status: the following requirements must be met for Home fee status:
- You’re a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay).
- You normally live in England.
- You’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course.
- Non-UK nationals must have settled status on the first day of the first academic year of the course - which could be 1 September, 1 January, 1 April or 1 July.
You may also be eligible if your residency status is one of the following:
- Refugee
- Humanitarian protection
The UK Government has confirmed that EU/EEA and Swiss national students who have started an eligible course in the 2020/21 academic year or earlier academic years remain eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees and claim any financial support for which they are currently eligible for the duration of that course.
EU/EEA and Swiss national students starting studies in the 2021/22 academic year or later academic years may no longer be eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees and claim any financial support for their studies - but this depends on your personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK) and UK government rules which are currently being developed. For further information on this emerging situation, please visit UK Council for International Affairs Brexit pages.
You may also be eligible if you’re not a UK national and are either:
- Under 18 and have lived in the UK for at least 7 years
- 18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years (or at least half of your life)
For further in depth information about fee status please see the UKCISA website.
Whether you qualify for a Home fees depends on
- your nationality or residency status
- your course
- your age
- see www.gov.uk for details.
Postgraduate Students
The Graduate School will conduct a fee status assessment upon receipt of your completed application and the notes below are intended as a guide only in determining whether you will be regarded as a Home or International student for fee purposes.
Nationality or residency status: you can get the Loan if all of the following apply:
- you’re a UK national, or have ‘settled status’, so there are no restrictions on how long you can stay
- you normally live in England, and didn’t move there just to study
- you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course
The UK Government has confirmed that EU/EEA and Swiss national students who have started an eligible course in the 2020/21 academic year or earlier academic years remain eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees and claim any financial support for which they are currently eligible for the duration of that course.
EU/EEA and Swiss national students starting studies in the 2021/22 academic year or later academic years may no longer be eligible to pay the “home” rate of tuition fees and claim any financial support for their studies - but this depends on your personal circumstances (including immigration status and residence history in the UK) and UK government rules which are currently being developed. For further information on this emerging situation, please visit UK Council for International Affairs Brexit pages.
You could also be eligible if you’re:
- a refugee or a relative of one
- under humanitarian protection or a relative of someone who has been granted it
- 18 or over and have lived in the UK for at least 20 years or at least half your life
For further in depth information about fee status please refer to www.ukcisa.org.uk/ website.
Whether you qualify for Postgraduate Loans depends on
- your nationality or residency status
- your course
- your age
- see www.gov.uk for details.